FIG. 7 shows an example of a related art connector capable of making a fit connection between connector housings with a low insertion force.
A connector 100 shown in FIG. 7 is disclosed in Patent Document 1.
The connector 100 is a so-called lever connector and is equipped with a female connector housing 110 having at a leading end thereof a hood 111 to which its counterpart connector housing is to be fit; a male connector housing 120 that fits into the hood 111; and a lever 130 attached in a turnable fashion to the male connector housing 120.
A middle portion of the lever 130 in its longitudinal direction (a direction of arrow X1 in FIG. 7), is engaged with a fulcrum shaft 121 projectingly provided on the male connector housing 120, thereby being coupled to the male connector housing 120 in a turnable manner. Arrow R1 shown in FIG. 7 denotes a direction in which the lever 130 turns around a fulcrum, or the fulcrum shaft 121.
As illustrated, the male connector housing 120 is positioned to a position where the male connector housing starts to fit into the female connector housing 110 with one end 131 of the lever 130 declined toward the female connector housing 110.
The one end 131 of the lever 130 is provided with protrusions that will engage with un-illustrated recesses formed on the female connector housing 110 when a remaining end 132 of the lever 130 is pushed down and turned around the fulcrum shaft 121. Further, the other end 132 of the lever 130 is provided with a housing push area by way of which the male connector housing 120 is pushed down when the other end 132 is depressed.
In relation to the aforementioned connector 100, after the female connector housing 110 and the male connector housing 120 are positioned at the fit starting position, the other end 132 of the lever 130 is depressed toward the female connector housing 110, whereupon the lever 130 with its one end 131 engaged with the female connector housing 110 acts as a lever member, to thus exert great pushing force on the male connector housing 120. Accordingly, a fit connection between the connector housings can be made with a low insertion force.